Politics

POLL: Democrats And Republicans Hold Equal Support Among Hispanic Voters

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Nicole Silverio Media Reporter
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Hispanic voters are evenly divided in their support for Democrats and Republicans, according to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) poll published Wednesday.

The Democratic Party traditionally had an overwhelming amount of support among Hispanic voters, but a new WSJ poll found that 37% of Hispanics said they would support a Republican congressional candidate and the same number would support a Democrat. A significantly higher percentage of Hispanic men said they support Republicans over Democrats by a 45%-29% margin.

The poll surveyed 1,500 registered voters, including 165 Hispanic voters. The margin of error for the Hispanic sample clocked in at +/- 7.6%.

Meanwhile, nearly twice the number of women support Democrats over Republicans by a 46%-29% margin, the poll showed. Out of all adults, 44% support Republicans while 41% support Democrats.

An additional 22% said they are unsure, according to the poll. (RELATED: 54% Of Hispanic Voters In California Say They Would Vote To Recall Newsom) 

Hispanic voters were also evenly divided when asked about a hypothetical 2024 presidential election between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, with 43% of respondents saying they would support Trump and 44% for Biden. This is a dramatic change from the 2020 election when Biden won 63% of the Hispanic vote.

The poll found that Trump had a major lead among Hispanic men over Biden by a 56%-33% margin, while Biden leads among women voters by a 55%-30% margin.

In recent years, Hispanic voters have increasingly become swing voters, with economic issues being a priority for their demographic, the poll said. Economic issues have driven a growing number of Hispanics, particularly men, to be drawn to the Republican Party. (RELATED: Biden Says ‘Latinx’ People Are Afraid To Get Vaccinated Because They Think They’ll Be Deported)

The vast majority of Hispanics said the economy is headed in the wrong direction, with 63% disapproving of the economy and 25% said they approve, the WSJ reported. Voters said that congressional Republicans are better suited to handle the economy than Democrats.

“Latinos are more and more becoming swing voters…They’re a swing vote that we’re going to have to fight for,” Democratic pollster John Anzalone said. “You see in this poll that there’s a group of Hispanic men who were without a doubt enticed by Trump and have become more Republican. We have more work to do on that.”

A little over half of voters, 54%, disapprove of Biden’s job performance while 42% said they approve, according to the poll. A staggering 61% of men disapprove while 46% of women disapprove. Of all adults, the president has a higher disapproval rating among Hispanic voters by a 57%-41% margin.

A Catalist study found that Hispanic voters shifted their support towards Trump by 8 points in comparison to 2016, the WSJ reported. In Florida, voters swung towards Republicans by 20 points and in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas by 12 points.

In the Virginia gubernatorial election, Republican governor-elect Glenn Youngkin outpolled Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe among Hispanic voters, according to the WSJ.